Since the invention of rubber agricultural tires heavy agricultural equipment, such as tractors, skidders, and the like, have been adding ballasts to maximize the pulling power and optimize the balance and stability of the equipment. The ballast is conventionally provided by using either iron weights or liquid-filled tires. In some cases liquid ballast is used in front tires to achieve a correct weight split for some implements of field operation and transporting. Commonly, water or a water and calcium chloride solution is used to provide economical ballast. Unfortunately, one (1) problem with filling these types of large equipment tires is that the installing, maintaining, and repairing process often requires special equipment and training. These tires are difficult to test or repair due to their large size and weight and the requirements of the water or the water and calcium chloride solution and it is of utmost importance to monitor and control the internal pressure of the tire and the amount of liquid which is used. It is commonly recommended that a tire never be filled more than ninety percent (90%), as any more could cause tire damage or present safety concerns to the operator of the equipment. In order to properly install and repair these liquid-filled tire hoses must be connected, disconnected, re-connected, and removed again for attachment of a pressure gauge; then reconnected to add more air or water. This adds time and difficulty to an otherwise a simple tire repair.
Various devices exist for testing tire pressure, valve assemblies, fluid transfer lines, or the like for maintenance and repairs. Specialized devices have attempted to provide a means of filling tires with liquid ballast. Other devices provide methods of filling and testing hydraulic assemblies such as hydraulic clutch assemblies of vehicles, prefilled hydraulic cylinders, or fluid delivery systems such as the fuel system of an automobile. These attempts tend to be overly complicated, time consuming, or difficult to manage in field operations, often times requiring removal and transportation of parts or assembly and disassembly of multi-component tools in order to properly perform the task at hand.
Such prior devices include: U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,767,389 and RE 37,151, issued in the name of LaFountain, which describes a method and apparatus for testing a fluid pressure apparatus; U.S. Pat. No. 4,766,765, issued in the name of Ezekoye, which describes a multiphase valve testing device; U.S. Pat. No. 4,993,259, issued in the name of LaFountain, which describes a method and apparatus for testing prefilled hydraulic systems; U.S. Pat. No. 5,187,974, issued in the name of Mellits et al., which describes a vehicular pressure-testing apparatus; U.S. Pat. No. 6,935,163, issued in the name of Stweart et al., which describes a method for testing parts for leaks; and U.S. Pat. No. 7,168,771, issued in the name of Nakano, which describes methods of measuring pressure of hydraulic fluid, methods of evaluating soundness and hydraulic drive devices for carrying out the methods.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives, each of these references suffers from one (1) or more of the aforementioned disadvantages. Accordingly, there exists a need for a means by which liquid filled tires can be tested or repaired in an easy manner without the difficulties as listed above. The development of the present invention herein described substantially departs from the conventional solutions and in doing so fulfills this need.